Process of and apparatus for the reduction of ores



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.v

J.E. HOLMES &"H. F. HAYDEN. HProeess of and Apparatus for the Reduction of Ores,

especially those of the Preeieus-Metals. .No. 242,647. Patented June 7,1881.

(N0 Modei.) 3 Sheets Shet 2.

J. E. HOLMES & F. HAYDEN. Process of and Apparatus for the Reduction of Ores,

especially those of the Precious Metals. No; 242,647.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

. J. E. HOLMES 8: H. F. HAYDEN. r Process of and Apparatus for the Reduction of Ores, especially those of the Precious Metals.

No. 242,647. Patented June 7,1881.

1:v fiTEIXS. fine-uzha w, Washinghn, at

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

JOSEPH E. HOLMES AND HENRY F. HAYDEN, OF WASHINGTON, D. O.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE REDUCTION OF ORES, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF THE PRECIOUS METALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,647, dated June 7, 1881. Application filed March 10,1881. (No model.)

I0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH E. HOLMES and HENRY F. HAYDEN, citizens of the United States, residing at the city of \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have inven ted certain new and useful Improvements in Process of and Apparatus for the Reduction of Ores, espe ciall y those of the Precious Metals; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section, partly front view of the furnace, with the retort in position. Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section of the furnace with the concentrator attached. Figs. 4 and 5 are cross and longitudinal sections of the retort, respectively. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the concentrator. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the safety-valve. Fig. Sis a plan view of the bearing-bar and friction-rollers for the hollow journals.

A is a furnace, of which B is the fire-box or combustion-chamber 5 O G, flues surrounding the retort; D, the main flue of the chimney; E, damper; F, ash-pit. Within the lining of this furnace, as at O 0, we show our method of superheatin g steam, where zigzag pipes or coils of pipes are arranged, exposing any desirable amount of pipe to the heat of thefurnace. Within this furnacewe place a cylindrical revolving retort, Gr, resting through its journals on friction-rollers j j and bearing-beam K.

L is a man-hole for filling and discharging the retort.

In Fig. 1 a part of the head is broken away, showing the manner of placing the ribs m m to insure the lifting and dropping the ore during the revolution of the retort.

Thehollow shaft and both journals are shown at H H H. The opening in the smaller or front journalneed not be more than one or two inches, while the larger or back journal should give very free passage to vapors or gases and dust, and at the same time have strength for keying on the large spur-gear M. That portion of this shaft H entirely within the retort isperforated with numerous small holes, a b, reaching to through the passages a a, and beyond this I plate or closed portion N the holes I) I) allow the escape of gases, vapors, and dust. At the small or front end of this shaft or journal we make a union -joint with a fixed pipe and branches, for the purpose of admitting steam,

hydrocarbons-or their vapors, carbonaceous dust, or chemicals and reagents, and at the back or larger journal we place a concentrator or dust-chamber, so that said journal fairly enters the concentrator with a good-fitting joint, but yet allowing the needed revolution of the retort. This connection is more fully shown at Fig. 6, with the spring safety-valve attached.

At 0, Fig. 3, we show a modification, the

valve-stern passing through the concentrator,

where the pressure to hold the valve in place is attached outside the concentrator, as shown at (1. Outside the furnace and bearing of this back journal we attach a large spur-gear, M, for operating the retort, (preferably largerthan the retort,) to be put in motion by worm or spur pinion. Clutches on pinion enable us to stop the retort with the man-hole up for filling or down for discharging.

At P, Fig. 6, and also at 7, we show the spring safety-valve as'attached to the large end of shaft H, with the adjusting-screw for regulating pressure in the retort. This safetyvalve has side openings (shown at Fig. 8) and rotates with the retort and within the concentrator. This concentrator may be of any required dimensions, and is divided into several compartments. These divisions are shown at R, and rise vertical from the bottom for about half the height, then slope inward or toward the safety-valve, atan angle of about fifteen to twenty degrees, for another fourthpart of the height. The space above these divisions is left free to thelast compartment, where there is a large hinged lid or valve on the top of the concentrator, as at S. There is also a hinged I divisions nearest and the lighter or waste port-ions farther from the valve or entrance. There are doors 9 g g in each compartment for removing the matter deposited. All joints or openings must be nicely fitted, so as to prevent theingress of atmospheric air among explosive gases.

Our process for treating ores and manner of operating this retort is as follows: We turn the retort so that the man-hole is vertical, or nearly so, over the central shaft,and fill it nearly half-full of broken ore that has been treated with lime and salt, either dry or in solution. The man-hole is securely sealed. The safetyvalve is adjusted to any suitable safe pressure. The retort is put in motion at the rate of three to five revolutions per minute, the fire made active, and a small jet of steam injected among the fluxed ores promotes active chemical action, while they are heated to redness. The steam is nownearly shutoff, and carbonaceous dust or liquid hydrocarbon or their vapors are injected through the double-valved globe or feeder T among the heated ores, in quantity to fill and keep filled with gases thus gener' ated the retort under pressure, as indicated, of one to two atmospheres. The action of these chemicals and gases is to break up, eliminate, and decompose the sulphurous and arsenical compounds and rapidly disintegrate the ores. At this stage of the process we introduce as reagents sulphurous acid in small quantity or pyroligneous acid generated in the retort by injecting the dust of wood into the retort, followed by low steam, while the fire is damped or drawn till the batch is ready to discharge, and the process repeated. This process, in connection with the described apparatus, is intended for cheap and rapid work on refractory ores, reducing and desulphurizin g large quantities, and preparing them for-the mill and amalgamation. Pursuing this art or process in the form and order specified, there is absolute safety it a pressure-gage is used and the safety-valve is adjusted to the safe strength of the retort.

For arsenical or other ores giving off poisonous or nnwholesome vapors, a pipe or chimney should arise from over the outer lid or valve, S, to any desired height.

Having thus described-our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a revolving retort, G, of the hollow shaft H, provided with the division-plate N and with the perforations a and b, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination of the retort G, the hollow shaft H, provided with the division-plate N and perforations a and I), and the inlet-pipe t and the pressure-regulator P, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a furnace, A, of the revolvingretort G, perforated shaft H, havin g division'plate N, friction-rollers j j, bearingbeam K, andinlet-pipe and pressure-regulator, substantially as described.

4. The revolving retort G, provided with the hollow shaft 1!, having division-plate N and the perforations (t and b, in combination with the concentrator Q, substantially as described.

5. The process of reducing metals from their ores,which consists in, first, treatingthem with lime and salt, either dry or in solution, then subjecting them to the action of steam, then injecting carbonaceous dust or hydrocarbons or their vapors among the highly-heated ores, under pressure, and finally exposing them to the action of sulphurous acid (or pyroligneous acid) as reagents under heat and pressure, as

.and for the purposes described.

JOSEPH E. HOLMES. H. F. HAYDEN.

Witnesses:

GEO. F. GRAHAM, WM. M. SMITH. 

